Improvement in nails and spikes



E. BLESS.

NAILS AND SPIKES.

Patented J'u-n 2'7, 1876.

WH'NESSIEEY zflg N. PETERS, PNOTO-UTHOGRAPNE NITED STATES PATENT QFFIG.

ELEAZAR BLESS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN NAILS AND SPIKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,152, dated J one 27, 1876; application filed August 26, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELEAZAR BLEss, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, State of Indiana, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Spikes, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists of making metallic spikes with rectangular shafts, provided with a head, in the usual manner, and a pyramidal point, which may be either forged, swaged, cut, or formed in any ordinary manner.

I am aware that spikes and nails have been made with wedge or chisel points; also, with sharp points, such as tacks; and nails have been made with conical points, such as the French nails, (Pointes d6 Pavia) and with tri angular points, as shown in Browns English patent of 1865; but 1 am not aware that nails or spikes have ever been made with a rectangular shaft and apyramidal point previous to my invention and patent of January 3, 1871, and there has been none of these placed on public sale, or in public use, other .than as experiments.

In the drawings I represent an elevation of my improved spike, which is composed of a metallic rectangular shaft, A, provided at one end with a head, B, of any ordinary kind, and the end that enters the wood is formed with a pyramidal point, 0, which may be forged, swaged, cut, or formed in any manner that would suggest itself to the mind of an ordinary mechanio, so that the rectangular shaft is formed with a pyramidal point that has a proper taper on all four sides, so as to impact the fibers of the wood in all four directions. lhe fibers being severed and separated by the action of each of the four corners of the pyramidal point, when it is driven into the wood and condensed or compressed in a close and elastic manner around the spike, prevents water from entering around the spike to rot the wood, and also gives an increased resistance of nearly twofold, to prevent the spike from being withdrawn.

A spike formed with a pyramidal point and a rectangular shaft, as in my invention, will drive straighter, is less liable to split the wood, does not shatter and destroy the fiber of the wood, and leave openings. around the shaft to admit water, and will require a great deal niore'power to remove it than any of the de-- vices before referred to, and is far superior to the ordinary spikes now in use.

What I claim as.new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As an article of manufacture, a spike formed with a metallic rectangular shaft, A, provided with a head, B, and a pyramidal point, C, as herein specified and set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

E. BLESS. Witnesses:

JEROME STALEY, E. 0. FRINK. 

